The roots of the brand go back to 1963 when Karl Toosbuy together with his wife Birte started producing shoes for women.
Initially, the founders used the name “Venus” for their products. Gradually, the company evolved into what it is now – a globally known manufacturer of shoes, bags, small leather goods, and accessories.
The earliest logo featured the original name of the brand, the word “Venus,” in a bold serif type. The lettering was placed inside the tail of a five-pointed falling star or comet. On the whole, the emblem had a lot of sharp angles, so the overall impression was sharp and dynamic.
A new era in the history of the ECCO logo started when the lettering “Ecco let” appeared on it. Now, you could see the word “ecco” in black lowercase letters and the word “let” in white with a black outline. The two parts were separated from each other by a small red heart. This time, the typeface was much softer than its predecessor. There were no serifs, while the glyphs looked quite plump and friendly.
All the glyphs of the current wordmark are based on a circle shape. And yet, none of them is actually a circle. Even the “O” has a small white gap on its top right part. The initial letter, “e,” also has a small white gap. This time, it’s placed on the top left part, which creates a visual “rhyme” with the “o” and helps to make the emblem more recognizable. The two identical “c’s” reinforce the illusion of symmetry on the logo. The only straight line is the bar on the “e.”
Interestingly enough, the company’s design team regards the “gapped” letters as part of the brand’s unique style. For instance, on the anniversary logo, the glyph “0” in the figure “50” had the shape of a ring with a white gap. In other words, it looked identical to the letter “o” on the main ECCO logo.